XXIX 



the body. The rough prominent basal portion of the costal nervure of the 

 wings formed the rasp, in connection with which was developed a large oval 

 "speculum," " talc-like spot," or " mirror." The rasps were scraped by the 

 sharp and hard front edges of the tegmina, the dome-like form of which 

 seemed admirably adapted and proba^bly did, to some extent, serve to 

 increase the sound by resonance. In Serville's species, according to 

 Westwood's figure, the stridulating apparatus appeared to be more highly 

 developed, the "mirror" being more distinct and the tegminal cavities 

 much more spacious. The males of the Pterinoxyli were unknown. We 

 had here another case in which functional stridulating organs are present 

 in females. The only other insects known to him in which stridulating 

 organs were seated partly on the wings and partly on the tegmina were the 

 orthopterous Ctldipoda, which, according to Scudder (Amer. Nat., ii. 113), 

 stridulate during flight, in connection with wliich fact it was interesting to 

 observe that the female Pterinoxyli, though incapable of flight, needed to 

 expand their organs of flight in order to bring their similarly situated 

 apparatus into play. 



Professor Westwood mentioned the formation of a " Channel Islands' 

 Museum and Institute of Pisciculture Society " in Jersey. 



The President also brought under the notice of the Society a recently- 

 published paper by Dr. Anderson (Proc. As. Soc. Beng., Aug. 1877), con- 

 taining an account of Gongylus gongylodes, Linn., a remarkable Indian 

 Mantis, the pupa of which is stated to resemble a flower, both in colour, 

 marking, form, and attitude, this resemblance being, it is suggested, for the 

 purpose of attracting insects on which the pupal Mantis feeds. 



Mr. Wood-Mason stated that the remarkable form and coloi-ation of 

 Gongylus gongylodes, and of other species of Mantidoi, had been known 

 to him for years, but had remained an inexplicable puzzle till December, 

 1875, when his valued and talented correspondent, Mr. S. E. Peal, of Assam, 

 informed him that he had just captured " a little rose-pink Mantis that 

 simulates a blossom beautifully; " and six months later a second "beautifully 

 white (wax-white) and larger than the previous pink one." On examination 

 these specimens proved to be larviie of Hymenopus hicornis of Serville, an 

 insect of great rarity, and only up to that time recorded from Java. The 

 species had the thighs of the four posterior legs expanded into broad pear- 

 shaped plates ; so that when seated on a twig with thorax and abdomen 

 raised at right angles to one another, with the fore-legs drawn out of sight 

 under the thorax, and with the four expanded thighs of the rest of the legs 

 spread out two on each side, the "feet" of all these legs being brought to 

 one spot, in form as well as in colour it must present a most perfect and 

 deceptive resemblance to a flower. Here form conspired with colour in a 

 most inimitable manner to produce the deception. The principal reason 

 why this observation of Mr. Peal's was not published long ago was that 



